Robert De Niro is the former president of the United States in "Zero Day"

At the same time that Italian cinemas are re-screening Paprika by Satoshi Kon, Netflix is releasing a new TV series starring the giant of the small screen, Robert De Niro, Zero Day. Although dealing with different aspects, both productions aim to depict the derailments of technology, a form of terrorism that operates on entirely different and unprecedented levels, and a war that cannot be fought with traditional weapons, requiring ingenuity to avoid drowning. It is incredible how Kon’s anime, based on a novel of the same name released more than a decade earlier, had already more accurately predicted the dangerous and deadly drift of the internet and its satellites, even more than the series created by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and Michael Schmidt. For an entire minute, all of America experienced a technological blackout: every server of every application of every service in every part of the country was completely frozen for sixty seconds, causing planes to crash, trains to collide, and rendering vital machinery useless, resulting in an astonishing number of casualties. 

A large-scale cyber attack that carries a message: it will happen again. To prevent it, the White House, whose Oval Office is occupied by a president played by Angela Bassett, calls back a figure who once inhabited the halls of power and had firmly led the United States in the past. The character George Mullen, played by De Niro, is a compassionate and determined politician, democratic and empathetic, who is asked to chair a special commission to investigate the cyber attack. A position in which he will find himself trapped, accepting it with the belief that he is acting for the good of the country. But too many interests are at stake, and trust in a bureaucracy where everyone is against everyone else has eroded, with no principles left to rely on. Even for Mullen, it will be difficult to stay true to himself, honor his role, and avoid tarnishing a reputation that had remained unscathed even during his presidency. But amid deceptive tricks and the passage of time, even understanding what is real and what is not will be an unprecedented challenge. Because, in the end, that is exactly what we are asked to do every day: to distinguish between what to believe in and what to reject, especially when politics becomes increasingly fragile and disconnected from its people, who would rather embrace white lies or possible conspiracies than place their trust in the State again. 

Bringing current issues to the forefront, including the world's dependence on technology, fake news, and the power of big tech in people's daily lives (with characters reminiscent of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk), Zero Day builds a political thriller that aims to say a lot but stops short from the beginning. Observing the gravity of modern problems and looking at contemporary society—especially when it comes to people's distrust of government institutions—the Netflix series envisions an event that, as of today, wouldn’t seem so unthinkable. However, it fails to add anything new to the narrative other than more fear and tension. The event feels like déjà vu in terms of storytelling—unintriguing and with a resolution that attempts to reflect on what citizens truly want in the broader picture of the present, without delving into today’s political and social issues. Instead, it carelessly throws in words like “app,” “social media,” and “conspiracy theories” in a superficial manner. Zero Day attempts to shape a discourse around the type of power that should be followed to restore order and what sacrifices may be necessary to achieve unity in the face of division. But the show’s good intentions quickly crumble, as it rushes through its six-episode run, trying to explore the schemes, interests, secrets, and good intentions of its characters while attempting to guide and straighten out a country in disarray. A solution, however, that Zero Day will not find, not even after securing two stars like Robert De Niro and Angela Bassett for the show.